Orange City Council CEO David Waddell says the city remains COVID-safe and the community should take comfort from the thorough airport checks the health department and police are conducting when passengers from Melbourne arrive at Orange Regional Airport.
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Mr Waddell's comments come on the back of a story in the Central Western Daily on Thursday confirming Fly Corporate has been running two direct flights a week from Melbourne to Orange.
He says council is continuing to comply with Public Health Orders from government and health authorities, adding the airport checks have been happening since July 7.
"For the last three weeks, since COVID-19 conditions worsened in Melbourne, Health department staff and police have been meeting every flight from Melbourne as it arrived at Orange Regional Airport," Mr Waddell said.
He said all passengers get off the plane in Orange, walk into the terminal and there health staff take temperature checks, check passengers' address details and ask other questions about whether passengers have visited hot-spots.
Passengers bound for Dubbo and Brisbane then get back on the plane to continue their journey.
To fly into NSW these passengers have met the strict requirements for a cross-border permit.
- Orange City Council CEO David Waddell
"To fly into NSW these passengers have met the strict requirements for a cross-border permit," Mr Waddell added.
"There are also measures put in place by the airline in Melbourne, such as the wearing of face masks on the plane.
"It's by working together as a community that we'll get through this pandemic.
"It's good that people are doing the right thing and making responsible decisions as they plan travelling to Orange.
"It's important that local businesses are also playing their part by following government requirements for contact tracing and other measures."
On Thursday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed masks will be mandatory for all Victorians from 11.59pm on Sunday after the state recorded 723 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
Thirteen people died of coronavirus in Victoria in that time, taking the state's total to 105.
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